A Camellia Among Dahlias and Other Trivial Flowers
by xxBlindDollxx
Summary: When Agetha Elwood wishes to become an author, and receive the best education she possibly can in her preparation for it, she sneaks her way into Weston College, an all-boy school for the rich aristocracy. Disguised as "Aaron Eades", how long can she keep up the act?
1. Weaseling into Weston

A rather small, ebony colored carriage made several distinct, wooden sounds as its wheels rolled along the weathered cobblestone path. Within the coach rested a young blonde girl with wavy locks and her fussy, aged governess who wore a displeased expression.

"Remember, Agetha, you musn't become involved with any of the young men at this school; exposure would ruin your father's career, and any of these silly author intentions you have will be dashed," the old woman wagged her wrinkled finger out at the teenager before retracting it and folding her hands neatly in her lap, "Honestly, I can not imagine why he let you go through with this in the first place." She blew out hot air after the last word left her agitated, pale lips.

Agetha continued to gaze out the carriage window, as if mapping out an escape route through the bramble, and simply answered, "I haven't the slightest clue, but I'm glad he finally saw things my way." Her face wore no particular expression as she said this, and her light blue eyes continued to scan the area, while the horses kept trotting along the beaten road with heavy hooves.

Today would begin her first year, or "form", at Weston College, a prestigious public school where all the aristocracy of England wished to send their heirs so they may acquire its status for themselves, despite its ridiculously high tuition. However, the young lady was not interested in the status as much as she was the academic privileges, for Weston was a place where students could enjoy the most sophisticated of educations available in the entire empire.

The problem in her enrollment here did not lie in her intellectual capability, but rather her gender. The school was a place where only males could attend, and that was certainly a requirement she couldn't work upon. She soon pleaded with her father to conjure up a new birth certificate with one of the families who worked beneath them, groveling in her request, and surprisingly her wish had been granted. The whole reason behind why Agetha had asked in the first place was so that she might become an author in her later days, which required skills above the average Victorian girl's tutoring, and creating her male alias while in school would hopefully lead her toward better connections in the future. It was a brilliant plan she had concocted, truly, but she did understand the risks she was taking by attending the college.

With this in mind, she pulled back her bangless curls and tied them into a flowing ponytail resting on the back of her shoulders, adorned with a blue ribbon. Many of the other boys had long hair, she had researched ahead of time, and as long as makeup was out of the question - the blonde was convinced she could pass as male. Her breasts were not well developed, even with hitting puberty at an early age, and slender boys were not all that uncommon within the country. The only issue she fretted over would be infatuation, and no not toward her - but from her, since she wasn't so blind as to be oblivious of her feelings. Most young girls her age were already engaged, or had their families scouting for their "coming-out" parties that were soon to come, but those were more business deals than affections. She knew, however, that around all of the young men her heart would be vulnerable - or at least she imagined it would be. Her governess simply rejected the plan altogether for etiquette required her to be with the young lady at all times when a male was present even in the room; the situation lit many fuses within her.

Eventually, the coach did reach a halt and the cross-dresser stepped lightly out of the cart, revealing her formal leather shoes, blackened wool trousers, dark morning coat, and her specially crafted top hat for her puny head. This was the considered uniform for the students, and she hoped not to forget her simple hat on a rushed morning, for it was a new accessory to her. Several other boys seemed to rush down the paths of the school, and Agetha deduced that she must have already been running later than she thought for the opening ceremony. She took note that no one stepped within a foot of the edges of the grass lawns and she figured them to be off limits as she dashed with the others. This in itself was a new experience for her, for a young lady should never romp about like a wild beast, and she enjoyed the freedom she was already receiving on the new grounds.

In the meantime, she expected her footman and governess would prepare the luggage accommodations since none of the other boys seemed to give a single care for theirs. Ah, what an easy life they led.

* * *

Once within the solemn gothic chapel, the female weaved through the blabbering crowds until she found a safe distance away from the other students. She figured no one would recognize her here, without makeup, unpinned hair, and the lack of a hoop skirt, but it was better to be safer than sorry this early in the game. Socializing wouldn't be out of reach for much longer, she figured as she estimated about 200 boys were situated in the church.

A few minutes passed before the looming doors were finally shut, and a hush fell over the adolescent crowd as a rather tall man dressed in tutor robes and a graduation cap approached the podium on the alter's stage. Taking this as the beginning of the ceremony, Agetha and the other standing students took a seat upon the ivory colored benches of the chapel.

"Good morning, gentlemen, I am Johann Agares, Vice Headmaster of this glorious, English institution. As of today, you are all my students and shall follow all of Weston College's rules and traditions; there are no exceptions to this," at first the man had seemed rather friendly, but his last phrase had caused his eyes to grow fierce and cold with threat, "As long as you keep this in mind, I am sure you will all have a wonderful and meaningful experience here along with your fellow brothers!"

He took this moment to circle around the podium, but before he could give a real send-off, he tripped off the stage and smacked the middle of his forehead clear on the hard, wooden floor. With blood now trickling down the side of his face, the Vice Headmaster extended his hand and acted as if his clumsy mistake hadn't just happened. "Welcome!" Everyone threw him questioning glances, and some whispered a few inaudible mumbles, before a group of four older boys stepped forward - still on the stage. Each one bore a different color: A blonde flirty type dressed in a velvet rouge vest wore a hairstyle rivaling Agetha's, the other blonde was stocky with piercing green eyes, a chiseled jawline, and an olive plaid vest, the brunette with chopped bangs and glasses held a book close to his blue, white-bordered vest, and the final boy dressed in a violet argyle held the girl's interest the most. Instead of an appropriate hat for the ceremony, he simply wore a shadowed hood, lined in a midnight purple, and his tie was carelessly fashioned into a bow; his hair was far more peculiar than any eccentric woman's she had ever seen, and yet his ebony locks were in a lovely contrast to the bleached streak that delicately framed his heart-shaped, made up face. The teenage girl felt the need to compliment him at that exact moment, for that was much to her nature if she found intrigue, but she repressed the urge and waited patiently for the meeting to continue.

The upperclassmen had introduced themselves as the prefects of the institution, and were named: Edgar Redmond of Scarlet Fox House, Herman Greenhill of Green Lion House, Lawrence Bluewer of Sapphire Owl House, and lastly - Gregory Violet of Violet Wolf House. Each house held its own significance on the campus from the nobles, to the physically adept, and the studious intellectuals, to the artistically gifted. Greenhill then took another firm step forward and ordered, "Alright lads, gather into your houses and get ready to move!"

All of the boys' eyes widened and they bustled about, trying to stand in front of the prefects' fags (AN: This is not a term that is meant to be subjective, it is simply the term used in the series to refer to the bond between an upperclassman and a specific lowerclassman). The blonde glanced down at her waistcoat, checking the patch once more for confirmation, and then proceeded to her sorted house's group. A sea of boys dressed in striped blue ties awaited her as they were led away toward Blue House. Secretly she wished that she had been put into "Purple House", now that she knew what their prefect looked like, but she knew the academic road was far more suited to her objective than his house. Though, it truly was a shame - eye candy never hurt when trying to reach a goal.

Once outside the arched gates of Sapphire Owl House, the prefect's fag, Clayton, called roll for the first time. Many names were listed and answered before Agetha finally spoke on the school grounds.

"Aaron Eades!"

"Here!" she answered possibly a little too loudly while raising her hand. "_Hopefully_," she kept to herself, _"I'll learn to answer to this name without thinking too much about it._"


	2. Blue House Knowledge

After the final name was announced and answered, the entire group of knowledge seekers flooded into the building of Sapphire Owl House. However, waiting for them behind the grand entry, there stood a sea of upperclassmen who held out a large, unfurled tarp - with devious faces of mischief. "Congratulations~!" each boy sang in a deep unison while their smirks grew ever wider. "Eades" and the other first forms backed away slowly, fright now quite present on each of their features, but the pack was blocked from turning away from the scene when they spotted Clayton guarding the doors behind them.

"Welcome to Blue House, boys." The fag readjusted his glasses, reflecting a slight glare off of them, before ordering, "Proceed with tradition!" The sole girl in the room easily noticed the joy in his tone as he barked, and was afraid about what was to come next.

Just then, a shaggy, brown haired owlet was plucked off from the front of the horde and sent into flight as the other students tossed him up and down using the hardy fabric. Agetha edged towards the back of the crowd, hoping to gain some slack, but was instead easily pushed forward in her light-weight attempts. Her pale blue eyes only widened when a hand latched itself to her arm, dragging her onto the tarp's second round, and her lips remained utterly silent until her body flew up in midair. She made a few high-pitched wails, not unlike the boy before her, and after she was through her third lift - she was released to the other side of the older crowd. A red-headed student handed the blonde her hat, that had been lost in the excitement, and then scurried back to watch the other victims' horrored faces or laughs of delight. The first form blinked, dusted off her topper a bit, and headed toward the dorm rooms, in search of her belongings.

* * *

A month had passed since the cross-dresser's first day at the institution, and all of her letters home detailed to her governess the precautions she had taken since arriving. Using methods such as changing in the bathroom just before curfew was called and avoiding most Cricket practices through the use of doctors' notes (like most of Blue House did), Agetha was able to evade any mishaps pertaining to her "questionable" garments.

The blonde sealed her weekly letter using the wax and stamp provided by the school, and dropped it off in the house basket for mailing. Her letters had been in code at first, then she dropped minor hints of her gender, and finally her notes held no restraint of her feminine thoughts. By now, she figured that if the headmaster really did check every article, as he was allowed to in the government-cut-off facility, he would have called her in already for answers.

The petite girl grinned to herself before catching up to a few of the other owlets she had grown to flock with, and they continued onto their first period, Latin. The boy who had been the first of the first-formers to be initiated that year's name was Rollin Peaton, and the blonde figured that if she was to blend in - she should stay beside someone who matched closest to her physical meekness.

"Eades," the other friend nodded his dark head in acknowledgement to her approach. Ignatius Sim was more of a quiet fellow who kept to his studies in the science world and very little else; the company he kept was an even smaller pool in comparison to his hobbies.

She grinned at Sim's reserved nature and greeted both boys back before glancing to the side to gaze at two passing students from Purple House. Cheslock, his contrasting hair in a wild flare as always, was demonstrating a story to Violet rather than telling it. She guessed the fag was describing beating a Green Lion in cricket practice, from his violent, excited swinging motions, but the older student didn't seem at all interested in his tale. The prefect kept his dark eyes upon the charcoal sketch he was probably brilliantly sketching with each fluid flick of his left hand; the teenager was a genius in his abilities and it remained clear as to why he had his prominent school position. The blonde girl was mesmerized by the artist's seemingly flawless features, perfectly pale skin, and harshly eyeliner rimmed eyes - and the only time she was able to rip her sterling blue orbs away from the mysterious hooded boy was when he and his partner in crime stepped onto the lawn. She visibly jerked away from her obvious stalking, knowing exactly what punishment she would receive if she ever set foot on the grass during her enrollment, and she finally turned to face forward and become involved in Peaton's unrequited monologue with the dark-haired owl student.

That morning in class, while casually translating entire sentences of a dead language into English, Agetha pondered over the intriguing wolf from earlier. She lightly pondered if he ever spoke with anyone outside of his house or the prefect circle, and if he was on the marriage market. The blonde sighed after finishing the assignment early and she chalked up that her chances of verbally speaking with him were slim at best, let alone ever meeting him outside of campus. Her eyes glided lazily over the sea of older students, only her and a few other Blue first-forms being present among the other houses' boys, and she mentally questioned if she should move up to yet another advanced class. Her governess _had _always prepared her early for marriage - and that meant a fine education worthy of a prestigious family. She took the spare moment to stack her papers neatly on her desk, fold them, and slip them into her bag so she might turn them in the next day (their proposed due date).

Once the period was over it was 9:00 a.m. and time for breakfast, so Eades met up with her duo and they strolled back to their dorm's grand mess hall. However, she failed to notice the gaze locked upon her figure from afar.

After taking a seat at one of the numerous tables, bare of any table cloth but riddled with an assortment of food, Agetha observed silently as the help began to trickle in, carrying small tea kettles and their matching metal stands. Cups of tea were soon poured and laughter was shared as the honor students began conversing about their studies and frequented stories. The vast room was bathed in the high morning sun's rays that brightly shone through the tremendous window that bore the house's crest. Shelves lined the above balcony, where books upon books were sloppily lined up one after the other, and the unlit chandeliers held only potential in the day. The blonde's attention then fell onto a new darkened kettle that was delicately placed beside her plate. She thanked the servant for his special trip and, after he left, her face lit up with extreme glee as a wide grin spread across her features.

"It's happening again; you're scaring me, Eades." Sim had glanced up from his book on Newton's laws, only to see a "boy" who seemed to be way too happy over a drink.

The girl only waved her hand at the boy before pouring out a cup of the delectable drink. "Simple pleasures, my dear friend, simple pleasures."

"An Englishman who doesn't drink tea; what is this world coming to?!" the brown-haired fledgling spread out his arms and dramatically asked the heavens.

The Latin whiz took a sip from her imported, Spanish hot chocolate before answering with, "I'm different," and smiling.

"Then you should be in Purple House if you are so different." The jet haired boy continued on with his reading, but his comment caused a few heads to turn before gossiping whispers filled the suddenly cramped space. No one took such jokes lightly in Sapphire Owl House, and what he uttered was a sheer scandal. Mixing houses was frowned upon in the school and frequent competitions made sure of this fact, whether they were physically or intellectually based. Peaton laughed at his remark to ease the tension in the room, and for the most part it worked as other awkward chuckles sounded, but the comment was still there. There were only two exceptions to this solid rule - and one of them required being either a prefect or their fag.

However, the other exception was one that Blue House was especially known for.

* * *

The dining hour passed quickly, and fag time began as it did every school day. Both Sim and Peaton were swept away by their seniors and Agetha patiently waited for hers within the dorm's common room. "Eades, there you are!" a voice called, sounding with several pants placed after it.

"Hawdon," she greeted as she lifted herself out of the rouge colored armchair. "Why so out of breath, pray tell?"

The third-form student pushed up his rounded glasses and removed his palms from his knees, straightening out his form. Although he was older than her, his expressions and actions were far more childish. "We both have tutoring duty for the month and it's starting today - at Cricket hour."

"You ran here to tell me that, even though it won't begin for hours?" He only nodded his blonde head vigorously. "Right, well why I have I been assigned to this? Aren't the higher forms responsible for tutoring?"

"Generally yes, but you've been requested for Latin and I have already been recommended for calculus several times previous." He scratched the back of his head with a nervous expression, worrying about her answer.

Tutoring at Weston was primarily handled by Blue House and served for the purpose of helping out the other houses in their studies so they may continue to advance in their own specific areas, while the owlets received training in teaching - should they ever choose to enter the academic world themselves. This was the second exception to becoming friends with the other members of the institution, and it also was considered tradition by the school.

"I see; that's fine then, thank you for the warning, I'll gather my past study guides in preparation then." She then dismissed the conversation and carried out her duties to the older student: ironing his clothes and cleaning his side of his shared room.


	3. The Lessons Begin

After classes had ended for the day and cricket hour began, Agetha joined Hawdon in a stroll back to the Blue House dorms, taking extra care to not step on the newly dampened lawns along the way. Many of the students from Green Lion House were racing past the other aristocrats in a grand hurry, some of them already changed from their usual uniform into their crisp, white ironed athletic ones, and constantly the unsuspecting foxes were knocked to the ground without any heed from the felines coming from every which way. The meek girl simply dipped her top hat a bit lower to shield her eyes from the rays of the sun, and hid behind her broader, older companion.

The blonde male ripped his poor eyesight from the scene and glanced backward. "It must be tough being the little guy, Eades, but don't worry - once you hit puberty you'll shoot up like a sprout in no time; then you won't have to resort to making yourself scarce every afternoon."

The crossdresser nodded and gave a fake, sheepish smile. "Right, but until then, this is my daily agenda." In reality puberty had come early for her, and a growth spurt was far out of the question, but appearances were still crucial. Here, for several years to come hopefully, she would just be a late bloomer. She took the almost silent minutes to think about the person she would be meeting, and would be spending a lot of time with from here on out. Her eyes darted from one side of the courtyard to the next, but there was no sign of him. There was no sign of Gregory Violet. The Latin whiz tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and sighed at her girly crush; Violet was too cultured to fail at a thing like Latin, and she knew hoping would just hurt her in the end.

Once in their house's dining hall, a flock of owls were flying to and fro trying to prepare for the coming tutoring session. These times were some of the few where Sapphire Owl House could really strut their tail feathers and basically brag without having to point it out too much. In this moment, staging was everything. Previously scattered books were placed back on the shelves in the loft above, and the chandeliers were lit with faint, flickering flames as the last rays of dusk approached the college campus. Even the windows had been washed clean by the students, and the stain glass crest shone with brilliance, mirroring its students, as the new tutoring season commenced. After Eades and Hawdon assisted for a little over ten minutes, the sound of the immense front doors of the building cracking open caught every fledglings' attention.

"They're here!" someone screamed as the bustling grew rapidly in the room, to strategically situate the evening tea and all of the necessary studying materials. When the first lion stepped into the nest, leading the rest of the animal kingdom, every Blue House student stood up and greeted the oncoming crowd. Many of the sapphire gentians were ready to bloom in this moment, allowing poor self-esteem to be left behind.

The scholars began to pair off, as each owl screeched their specialty to the oncoming flood, but Agetha simply sat at her spot on the table bench. She had been specifically requested, so she assumed whoever asked for her would find her eventually. Even with her short stature, making her difficult to spot, finally the came face to face with the vassal she had anticipated.

"Are you the person who requested me?" she grinned kindly and extended her slender hand for a shake, but he sneered at the "boy".

Cheslock took his seat beside her, ignoring her courteous gesture altogether and spat, "So how long will it be until I can go back to cricket practice; my team needs me, y'know," he stated more than asked.

The strawberry blonde sighed, knowing this would be a difficult period already. "Considering Latin is something you practically flunk at, I'd definitely say at least a few weeks."

He had been opening up his textbook when he picked up on this devastating news, and he whipped his contrasting head around to look her in the eyes for the first time, but the gaze was an unpleasant one that held a violent, menacing attitude. Though suddenly, a playful, teasing tone developed. "Then I guess ya just aren't the best tutor I could ask for are ya?"

Instantly, she squinted her grey eyes into an easy, icy glare. Aaron went through life aiming to be the best at what she excelled at, and the wolf's comment urked her very core. She pressed her index finger into his chest, forgetting all about manners and the college's "brotherly love" concept. "Listen here, buddy. The only way you could know of my Latin credentials is if the professor told you himself, and if you think any other owlet can beat me in this dead language, then you are certainly mistaken. I will do my best to earn my wings and respect in this dorm with or without you, but I'm the best chance you have at not only passing - but getting high marks in the class. So are you in, or are you out, wolf?" She let her finger drop to her side, but she refused to break eye contact.

A wicked smirk then spread across the music genius' scarred features. "Game on, owl, it might be fun to work with ya."

Very well then, let's get started." The girl slipped on her reading glasses, flipped through her old study guides, and got down to business with regained composure.

Had she known that Cheslock would be her new acquaintance, she would have expected such a beginning and been properly prepared for his snarky behavior. Although tradition kept an unspoken rule of distinct separation between houses, the violet dahlia was known for his sharp tongue especially. He hated the lot of the other students who weren't in Purple House, and had well known reasons for each dormitory. In the rebel's supposed perspective, the sapphires are a bunch of boring know-it-alls who can't suck up physical pain and just write doctors' notes for everything so they can just study more in the meantime (to get another leg up on the rest of the student body). It wasn't a false view, but it wasn't one the intellectuals appreciated either. Despite knowing this, Aaron was going to take the opportunity to beat some sense into him the only way she knew how - by crushing him with her teaching wrath. The young lady enjoyed the idea and couldn't wait to get started.

* * *

A week passed, filled with grueling study sessions and several howls of anger, but eventually the next graded test came and Cheslock handed it to his tutor, beaming with pride - as if he was already better than her. "See that, Blue, that's a solid B minus!"

"Congratulations Cheslock," exasperation but thankfulness were present in the girl's words. She was glad results were turning up for him because of her.

"So I guess I don't have to come here anymore after all, huh?"

Agetha gave a few weak laughs and wiped a fake tear from her eye. "You have to make three Bs or above to get out of tutoring officially, Cheslock." She was never one to give out appropriate, or even clever, nicknames. The young man beat his forehead on the dining room table a few times before flipping his purple lined hood up and loathing the world. "Aw, I feel so special," she spoke with unamused sarcasm and began gathering up the books in front of him for the next planned lesson. The wolf had become more bearable, but his attitude about actual work always stayed.

Just then, a large clanging of teacups crashing against the floor caught everyone's interest a much more prominent Scarlet Fox loomed over geeky Hawdon with his stereotypical temper. "I am quite finished with all of these numbers and letters! There is no reason for four variables to be in the same equation; when will I ever use calculus anyway?!" The aristocrat got up and made a dramatic exit as the poor dirty blonde chased after him, trying to convince his vassal that flunking out would ruin his entire socialite career.

The petite girl swiveled her head to the edgy young man beside her who had forgotten his complaining instantly when snickering at the scene. "Foxes," was all he had to say before asking a few questions about the next passage.

Once the hour was up, and all of the outsiders said their farewells, Cheslock uncharacteristically turned to Eades and punched his shoulder adding, "Thanks for wasting your time on me when you could be studying yourself."

"I'm required to help you since you asked for me, actually."

"Even so, you're an okay louse, Blue, for an owl." He then turned on his leather heels and waltzed out of the grand doorway.

"Did Violet Wolf's Cheslock just compliment you?" Rollin appeared from out of nowhere, sporting his cricket uniform.

"I believe so," affirmed Sim, wearing identical garments but a less impressed expression. She decided they must have made a pact not to get out of practice today.

The girl's shaggy haired friend then began to push them back toward the dining room where the help had begun to set up supper. "Peaton, you know I have to bathe before sitting down for a night's dish."

"Not tonight!" the owlet sang, "we hardly get to speak with you anymore, Eades; rescheduling one night won't send your entire routine askew!" The female first form began creating false tears as she was forced into the mess hall once more.

After a lovely meal of well seasoned fish, Elwood quickly flew from the hall, trying her best not to seem too suspicious, and fled to her shared room. She stealthily grabbed her greatly loosened bodice and uniform nightgown before slipping into the bath. She knew she had only a few minutes before the other boys with small stomachs would be bounding up stairs, and, although she knew how to keep her business short, she really hated these close-call nights.


	4. It's Bound to be in the Library

Days of studying a dead language mercilessly dragged on until Cheslock received his second B, more than a week later, and Agetha finally felt it was time for a change of pace. Knowing full well that the Purple House student hated most house intermingling, the small youth invited him to accompany her to the library during the usual Cricket Hour, instead of working in the owls' crowded nest constructed of stacked textbooks and filled teacups. In her mind, she was grateful for any relief from the odd boy odors that were emitted from the mess hall and instead welcomed the scent of ancient knowledge, hidden between the bound pages of the books that lined the shelves of every wall of the structure.

In the middle of reviewing previously discussed roots, Cheslock ran his palm furiously back and forth over the bleached streak in his untamed hair. "The Gazebo is a way better place to study than this damn lifeless museum; it's too stuffy in here." He pouted and pushed his textbook away slightly. Unfortunately for him, his knew all too well that it was against tradition to let in outsiders. The blonde beside the musical genius gave an amused sigh, coupled by a small grin, before pushing the book back in front of him and silently urging him to continue. If she spoke now, the teenager would no doubt spark up a procrastinating and useless conversation that would give Cheslock an opportunity to shirk work.

It was not until the wolf had continued wordlessly reading that Eades heard the scratching of pencil on paper. Immediately, and without subtlety, her head automatically swiveled to hone in on the source of the unsettling noise. Sitting several meters away from the two was an unperturbed, and always attractive, Gregory Violet at another table - with his hood still flipped over his ebony locks despite being indoors and out of the sunlight's clutches. The boy of interest glanced up from his, no doubt, glorious sketch to make eye contact with the girl's evident and obvious sterling orbs before gazing downward and continuing his current project. Flustered, yet not wanting to draw Cheslock's attention, Eades harshly tapped her fountain pen against the library's ornate, jade colored tabletop a few times before flipping open another book for her student to study. She was most definitely not going to point out Violet if even his fag hadn't noticed him yet; something about having a crush on someone gives the person with unrequited feelings a type of otherworldly-radar. For now, instead of why he was here and not on the cricket field with his teammates, she wondered how he skipped past her keen hearing, couple with the radar. The short blonde then slid her reading glasses past her ears and against the ridge of her nose; she realized she had developed a migraine by not adjusting them properly earlier in the session and hoped the usual nausea wouldn't follow soon after because of her foolishness.

After having written down the last of the roots, the edgey, contrasting character beside the crossdresser finally took notice of his upperclassman's presence in the room. "Heh, looks like he ditched 'em again and snuck his way in her'." Agetha tried to focus her adjusted eyesight on the target beside her before he continued with, "Violet doesn't like hot, sunny days like this one, so he usually comes into the library to draw in peace and avoid overheating." Before she could comment on this discovery that someone outside of Sapphire Owl House had unlimited access to the building during the daytime festivities, Cheslock decided to break one of the most fundamental rules in the setting. "Hey, Violet! C'mon and sit over here with Blue and me!"

The blonde's heart silently caught in her throat as she witnessed the prefect's attention leave his masterpiece. She refused to have her bulging eyes leave that single spot as the figure scuttled over without so much as a second thought. She closed her eyes and took a deep soothing breath once she realized how obviously ruffled she was. When she opened her eyes - she was met with strikingly pale ones in return.

"Hello," his tone was calm but direct as he took a seat across from them.

Aaron returned the greeting but didn't offer a customary handshake, knowing full well he wouldn't be the type of person to accept such a thing. Without a word, the intriguing creature continued his artwork right away. The female passed another passage to her student, written long ago by a now forgotten Roman philosopher, and asked him to translate it back into English while she planned the next lesson (that would surely be one of the last she would have to prepare for him). Indeed, she wondered what Gregory was sketching so diligently, and questioned the idea that it might have been inspired by a character he had read about in the library recently or perhaps an architectural scene, but she felt as if asking was overstepping her boundaries in that moment. Unbeknownst to her however, Violet was sketching the first form owl in front of him; he had grown suspicious of the feminine features he found etched into the page by his own left hand. It had been awhile since he had drawn shapes such as these, thanks to Weston College.

* * *

Another week passed, filled with now scattered lessons since Elwood had allowed Cheslock to attend cricket practice some days after classes, and the trio of students resided in the place of ancient literature again. Frequently, but not without his fag, Violet had been hanging around as well. Although he had no business being there, it was not as if either of the younger students minded his presence. He rarely spoke, mostly only when spoken to, and he would either be found doing his own school work or creating projects that didn't involve messy substances such as paint or clay. Eades had never seen any of the argyle boy's works nor had she asked about them even at this point, despite Cheslock's casual inquiries from time to time toward his friend's tasks.

Speaking of friends, the younger wolf had even commented that that was how he regarded them altogether. Sure, he had close friends in his own house, but the girl was glad to have been considered as such - especially with Gregory included in the mix. The owlet's stewardess had been in the right when warning her indeed, since the attraction was definitely true, but the young woman figured that as long as she didn't move up into any higher forms and did not cause problems in Blue House - that she could control her infatuation so it would never escalate above just an interhouse friendship (which of course has more limits than inside-house relationships). Encounters were beautifully short lived.

Before the wild child beside the blonde finished his practice however, the teenager with piercings shot up out of his seat at the sound of the chapel's hollow bells from clear across the campus. Supper was on and Cheslock did not see the point of wasting this opportunity for his house's specials for mere review sheets. He disappeared in a black and white blur, sprinting toward the nearby Purple House that hauntingly beckoned him with the promise of favorable food for his peculiar taste buds.

Aaron Eades sighed. "Yeah, that's to be expected this close to the end game; I'm already losing him." She began to pack up everything into her leather school bag, including her student's unfinished work, and worried about their relationship after he received his last formidable grade required to get out of tutoring. She genuinely appreciated his company for his personality was always a breath of fresh air from the stuffy Sapphire House. Peaton, Sim, and Hawdon were all great "brothers," but they all lacked the witty humor that she found she shared with the Purple House members - at least in her own personal opinion. Though, this being said, she did know her attributes were just as serious as a bookworm was stereotyped to be.

The cloaked student with her was rather courteous and waited for her to finish her slow thoughts, while fiddling with the purple lining of his hood, before they set off out of the library together. The tinier teen did not expect anything to come from this short journey, but she knew she was mistaken about that when Violet opened his mouth to speak.

"Thank you," his tone was calm as he kept his gaze steady on the walkway ahead.

She blinked her sterling eyes a few times, trying to register that this was first time he had addressed her since the week of their acquaintanceship started. "For what exactly?" she inquired.

"For aiding my fag in his studies; it is pitiful that he can not handle the Latin language when he belongs to Violet Wolf House, home of the arts at this school." He stuffed his hands into his pockets before making a slight hiss through gritted teeth in frustration. This was also the first time Agetha had seen him make any expression outside of a blank stare.

The blonde found him amusing and gave a single laugh in response to his antics. "He's not that bad at least anymore, and he's known for his musical genius - not his linguistics." She hoped that he could see the other boy's personal improvement.

"Yes, your patience with him has helped him greatly. Of course, I am also upholding Pledge 15 by saying sharing this with you."

"Right, of course." The owlet remembered the rules of brotherly conduct well:

"_At all times, you should share your hearts with your friends, and help them out with love. Every student has to be equal under the headmaster." _

The conversation unexpectedly did not end there and the young man posed a question for his current companion. "Why did you come to this school, Eades?" Again she was caught off guard by his sudden talkative manner that evening but answered him honestly; she aspired to be a well-known author. Of course, this profession was considered foolish to most, but she had no problem relaying her life choice to him - seeing as he came from a place where everyone sought to pursue equally foolhardy careers in Victorian England. He only answered, "Ah," before questioning why she did not enroll with the dahlias hidden away in Purple House. His light eyes were ever piercing as he stopped dead in his tracks, coaxing for a viable answer from the long haired blonde.

"I want to be a respected writer and to do so I should probably have the logical minded publicizing my books, no?" This was the only reply she could muster that made any amount of sense for a regular, male boy. Connections were key for everyone on campus, but what really made Blue House crucial to her was her ability to cover up being unable to change during physical activities with the other students and escaping the possibility of having close quarters with a future rival who might recognize her. Purple House could be teaming with potentially prestigious authors for all she knew. She never wished to reveal her time here to anyone once she graduated; she only wished to keep contact with current peers by post and occasional meetings if need be. Then, as Aaron, she would ask them to promote a relative of hers, with a single manuscript in hand. Eventually she might have to converse with more writers at the school, she figured, but she decided she would get through a few more forms first before attempting anything.

"What do you plan to do after you graduate, Violet?" His name felt odd on her tongue even as she thought about it now, with him beside her.

The wolf continued his slink toward the mess hall with the same expressionless face. "Don't know."

The girl was flabbergasted, her mouth hung open, as she did her best to keep pace with him. "You mean you don't want to pursue art? I have heard such fantastic things about your work though!" She was unable to give her own opinion since she still had never actually seen any of it.

His bored eyes now glanced down at the sketch book he was carrying at his side. "Many people in this age are taught to make art as a part of their upbringing."

"But that does not mean they are meant to be artists; their work is not beautiful when they have no soul in it! You are truly and passionate about what you create! I mean look how young you are and yet you stand as part of the P4 already!"

"I am only a member because the previous set were sent away, we do not speak of them." He had a glare in his harsh eyes as he peered down at her, causing the conversation to cease with, "You should not concern yourself with the matters of a student from another house so much, little fledgling."

Although the aggression in the air immediately receded after he said this, their trek continued in complete and utter silence for she could still feel the harsh atmosphere from mere moments before. It had felt almost deadly. Even when they parted ways they didn't exchange any words for send-offs. It was truly an awkward state of being for small Agetha Elwood.


End file.
